Paddle sealer

ABSTRACT

A paddle sealer used for planting having closing wheels that are drawn by a motive power source such as a tractor and used to close seed trenches to prevent the seed trench from reopening and provide the proper soil conditioning to promote uniform germination and emergence. The paddle sealer with closing wheels includes an adjustable frame structure including a tensioned arm assembly and an attachment mechanism for attaching the paddle sealer to seeding equipment, and a paddle closing wheel assembly carried by the arm assembly.

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/580,584, filed Dec. 27, 2011, whichis expressly incorporated by reference herein

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to the field of agricultural implementsdrawn by motive power sources such as tractors and used for planting.More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a paddle sealerhaving closing wheels for closing seed trenches in a manner to promoteuniform germination and emergence.

In damp soil conditions, conventional closing wheels commonly found onseeding equipment can compact the soil used to close the seed trench.This can result in undesirable effects. Excessive soil compactionimpedes root growth and therefore limits the amount of soil explored byroots. This, in turn, can decrease the plant's ability to take upnutrients and water. From the standpoint of crop production, the adverseeffect of soil compaction on water flow and storage may be more seriousthan the direct effect of soil compaction on root growth.

In dry years, soil compaction can lead to stunted, drought stressedplants due to decreased root growth. Without timely rains andwell-placed fertilizers, yield reductions will occur. Soil compaction inwet years decreases soil aeration. This results in increaseddenitrification (loss of nitrate-nitrogen to the atmosphere). There canalso be a soil compaction induced nitrogen and potassium deficiency.Plants need to spend energy to take up potassium. Reduced soil aerationaffects root metabolism. There can also be increased risk of cropdisease. All of these factors result in added stress to the crop and,ultimately, yield loss.

In the farming practice of strip till, a berm of soil is created by aspecially designed fertilizer knife injecting soil additive and a pairof angled sealing discs. The most common used soil additive is anhydrousammonia (NH3), a nitrogen fertilizer. NH3 rapidly turns from a liquidstate to a gas during the application process and must be sealed beforeit reaches the soil surface. The conventional method used to seal NH3 isby relocating soil on top of the berm using a pair of concave sealingdiscs. This method does not adequately seal in the NH3 and escape of theNH3 occurs. In addition, soil clods are commonly relocated to the top ofthe berm. The drawback to this method is that an inconsistent bermheight is created by the clods, which traps air and impedes settling ofthe soil in the berm. Strip till is normally practiced in the fall,giving the soil time to settle before seeds are planted into the bermthe following spring. Any trapped air in the berm during planting canimpact seed germination, as well as seed depth. If soil settling occursafter planting, the depth of the seeds will vary, which could have anegative effect on emergence.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the present disclosure, a paddle sealer havingclosing wheels is provided to be drawn by a motive power source such asa tractor and used to close seed trenches to prevent the seed trenchfrom reopening and provide the proper soil conditioning to promoteuniform germination and emergence.

In accordance with the present disclosure, a paddle sealer is intendedto finely chop and churn soil such that loose soil will trap and seal inapplied fertilizer, such as anhydrous ammonia, and/or to reduce soilclods and air pockets. The finely churned soil rapidly settles back intoa soil trench created by a fertilizer applicator knife (that runs infront of the paddle sealer or is utilized preceding the paddle sealer).The paddle sealer of the present disclosure paddles and churns the soilon the sides and top of the berm into finer particles.

In illustrative embodiments, the paddle sealer with closing wheelsincludes an adjustable frame structure including a tensioned armassembly and an attachment mechanism for attaching the paddle sealer toseeding equipment, and a paddle closing wheel assembly carried by thearm assembly.

In some embodiments, the paddle closing wheel includes a planar bodyportion provided with a series of radially extending fingers about itsperiphery. The closing wheels also include a series of paddles attachedto the fingers of the closing wheel, which are used to churn the soilinto a finer texture. The finer soil particles better close the seedtrench and prevent air pockets in the seed trench. Air pockets in theseed trench negatively effect germination which reduces the yieldpotential of the emerging crop. Also, the need to run drag chains tohelp close the trench is reduced. The closing wheels also minimize soilcompaction, which reduces crop issues.

Additional features of the disclosure will become apparent to thoseskilled in the art upon consideration of the following detaileddescription of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode ofcarrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figuresin which:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a seed trench that was not properly closedover a seed, creating poor seed to soil contact;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a seed trench that cracked open to expose aseed, which dries out and does not germinate;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a seed trench with a gap above the seed,which causes the seed to leaf out, preventing the plant from penetratingthe soil;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a pair of paddle closing wheelsrotatably mounted to an adjustable frame structure of a planting unit,showing the paddle closure wheels having a toe-in orientation (at anangle to a vertical axis) and having a positive camber orientation (atan angle with respect to a longitudinal axis);

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the adjustable frame structure of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view showing the paddle closing wheels and howthey are attached to a central block of the adjustable frame structureof FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a paddle closing wheel having a bodyportion, a series of radially extending fingers disposed about theperimeter of the body portion, and a series of paddles coupled to thefingers, wherein the paddle closing wheel includes a hub assembly forrotatably attaching the paddle closing wheel to the central block of theadjustable frame structure of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Good soil 20 contact with the seed 22 is one of the most importantaspects of obtaining uniform emergence. If the sides 24 of a seed trench26 do not close in over the seed 22, there is poor seed 22 to soilcontact as shown in FIG. 1. If the seed trench 26 cracks open andexposes the seed 22, the seed 22 dries out and does not germinate asshown in FIG. 2. If the seed trench 26 closes at the top without soildirectly above the seed 22, the seed 22 may germinate, leaf out, andthen be unable to penetrate the crust as shown in FIG. 3. The presentdisclosure causes the reduction or elimination of air pockets andpromotes higher yields by creating an ideal seedbed condition inunfavorable soil/planting conditions

Turning now to FIGS. 4-7, wherein like reference numerals are used toindicate like elements, there is illustrated a paddle sealer 38. Thepaddle sealer 38 generally includes an adjustable frame structure 39including an arm assembly 40 and an attachment mechanism 42 forattaching the paddle sealer 38 to seeding equipment pulled by a motivesource, such as a tractor (not shown), and a paddle closing wheelassembly 44 carried by the adjustable frame structure 39. Referring toFIGS. 4 and 5, the arm assembly 40 includes first and second generallyparallel arms 46, 48 having a first end 50 and a second end 52. The armassembly is generally parallel to a soil surface. The first ends 50 ofthe parallel arms 46, 48 are secured to the attachment mechanism 42.

In particular, the attachment mechanism in the form of a bracketassembly 42 includes first and second walls 54, 56 that are generallyparallel to the parallel arms 46, 48 and a third wall 58 that istransverse to and extends between the first and second walls 54, 56.Each of the first and second walls 54, 56 includes a bushing or bearing60. A bolt 70 extends through the bushing 60, through an aperture 72disposed in the arm 46, through the bearing 62, and through an aperture74 disposed in the arm 48. A locknut 76 is secured to the bolt 70 toretain the bolt within the bushings 60 and apertures 72, 74. Thebushings 60, bolt 70, and locknut 76 act to attach the arm assembly 40and the bracket assembly 42. The bushings 60, allow movement of the armassembly 40 with respect to the bracket assembly 42 about an axis formedby the bolt 70.

As seen in FIG. 5, apertures 80 are disposed through the first andsecond walls 54, 56 and a bolt 82 extends through the apertures and isaxially retained by a locknut 84. The bolt 82 functions to attach atension assembly 86 to the arm assembly 40. Specifically, a generallycylindrical opening 88 is disposed at a lower end 90 of a generallycylindrical rod 92. The rod is attached to the bolt 82 with the boltextending through the opening 88 of the rod 92. The rod 92 extendsupwardly through an aperture 93 extending through a retention plate 94,wherein the retention plate 94 is attached to upper edges 96 of theparallel arms 46, 48. The retention plate 94 rests on parallel arms 46,48. A spring 100 is disposed around a central portion 102 of the rod 92and a washer 104 and a bolt 106 are retained on an upper end 108 of therod 92 to further retain the spring 100 between the upper end 108 of therod 92 and the retention plate 94. Bolt 106 can be rotated to adjustdown force applied to paddle wheel closing assemblies 44.

Still referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, L-shaped projections 120 extendoutwardly from the first and second walls 54, 56 of the bracket assembly42. The projections 120 include first and second segments 122, 124,wherein each of the arms 46, 48 rests on a first segment 122 of arespective projection 120. The projections 120 generally function toprevent too much downward movement of the arm assembly 40, which will bediscussed in greater detail below.

The bracket assembly 42 further includes connecting walls 130, 132, asseen in FIGS. 4 and 5, that are attached to or integral with the thirdwall 138 and which extend in a direction opposite the first and secondwalls 54, 56. The connecting walls 130, 132, together with bolts 134(that extend through apertures 135) and locknuts 136 attach the paddlesealer 40 to the seeding equipment.

As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, a generally square-shaped tube 140 isdisposed at the second end 52 of the parallel arms 46, 48 of the armassembly 40. The square-shaped tube 140 includes a hollow, square-shapedcavity 142 and is attached to the parallel arms 46, 48. The arms 46, 48and tube 140 may be formed as a single, integral piece or otherwiseformed separately and attached by means known in the art, such as bywelding. The paddle closing wheel assembly 44 includes a generallysquare-shaped stem 146 held within the cavity 142 of the square-shapedtube 140. In particular, an upper end 147 of the stem 146 includesmultiple sets of opposing apertures 148 that are aligned with a singleset of apertures 150 in the square-shaped tube 140 to permit verticaladjustability of paddle closing wheels 200. A hitch pin 152 is insertedthrough the aligned apertures 148 and 150 to retain the stem 146 withinthe tube 140 and a cotter pin 151 is inserted through a channel in thepin 152 to retain the pin 152 within the apertures 148 and 150.Optionally, a clip or other retaining mechanism may be utilized toprevent removal of the hitch pin 152.

The stem 146 is adjustable in that the hitch pin 152 may be removed andthe stem 146 may be moved up and down to align any set of apertures 148in the stem 146 with the apertures 150 in the tube 140. The adjustmentallows the paddle closing wheel assembly 44 to be moved toward and awayfrom the ground/soil, depending on a height of the soil,dampness/dryness of the soil, and/or other soil or surroundingconditions. The stem 146 may also be entirely removed from thesquare-shaped tube 140 when the paddle closing wheel assembly 44 is notnecessary. As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, any number ofsets of apertures 148 may be utilized to allow for further adjustabilityand/or a single set of apertures 148 may be utilized in the stem 146 andmultiple sets of apertures 150 may be utilized in the tube 140.

Referring to FIG. 6, the paddle closing wheel assembly 44 furtherincludes a central block 160 attached to or integral with a second,lower end 162 of the tube 140. The central block 160 includes first andsecond opposing walls 164 that are generally parallel to a lateral axis168 of the block. The central block 160 further includes third andfourth opposite walls 170, wherein the walls 170 are arranged in apositive camber orientation and a toe-in orientation. Specifically, withregard to the positive camber orientation, the walls 170 angle inwardlyfrom upper ends 172 to lower ends 174 of the walls 170. The positivecamber creates an angle A with respect to a vertical axis 176 of theblock 160. In addition, the toe-in orientation creates an angling of thewalls 170 inwardly between a first longitudinal end 178 and a secondlongitudinal end 180 of the walls 170. The toe-in therefore creates anangle B with respect to a longitudinal axis 182 of the block 160. Theangle A is about 13 degrees and the angle B is about 9 degrees. Each ofthe walls 170 includes an opening 184, which will be discussed ingreater detail below.

Paddle closing wheels 200, as best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, are rotatablyattached to the third and fourth walls 170 of the central block 160, aswill be described in detail below. Each of the paddle closing wheels 200includes a body portion 202 that is provided with a central opening 204for connection to a hub assembly 206. The central opening 204 includes aseries of radially extending slots 208 that allow for use of bolts 210and nuts 212 for coupling the paddle closing wheels 200 to the hubassemblies 206. While only one bolt 210 and one nut 212 are shown inFIG. 7, any number of bolts and nuts may be utilized, as can better beseen in FIG. 6.

The hub assembly 206 attaches to the center of the paddle closing wheel200 and permits the paddle closing wheel 200 to rotate. The hub assembly206 includes an inner hub 218 and an outer hub 220 that is configured tobe secured to the inner hub 218. The inner hub 218 is positioned on oneside of the paddle closing wheel 200, the outer hub 220 is positioned onan opposite side of the paddle closing wheel 200, and the bolts 210extend through the inner and outer hubs 218, 220 to secure the inner andouter hubs 218, 220 to the paddle closing wheel 200. The paddle closingwheel 200 also includes a number of fingers 230 (only some of which arelabeled) that radially extend from the body portion 202 of the paddleclosing wheel 200. The fingers 230 include first side edges 232 andsecond side edges 234 connected by a crown portion 235, whereingenerally rectangular paddles 236 are mounted to the first side edges234 (only some of the first and second side edges 232, 234, crownportions 235, and paddles 236 are labeled for clarity of the drawings).

While the paddles 236 are shown as being rectangular in shape, thepaddles may be circular, oval-shaped, square-shaped, or any other shapethat allow for churning of soil. Between each of the fingers 230 is arecessed area 238 (again, only some recessed areas 238 are labeled) thatis configured to reduce soil buildup between the fingers 230 duringoperation. The fingers 230 are equally spaced around a periphery of thewheel 200 so that the paddles 236 can make contact with the soil in aconstant manner. The paddles 236 churn the soil to break up dirt andclods and push soil toward the seed trench. The paddles 236 can be castwith the fingers 230 or welded or otherwise attached in position.

The paddle closing wheels 200 can be fabricated from metal stock, pouredas a casting, or laser cut with the paddles 236 formed on the end ofeach finger 230. The paddles 236 chop and churn the soil without soilbuildup between the fingers 230. The angle of attack of the paddles 236moves soil towards the seed trench to thoroughly cover the seed.

The preferred paddle closing wheels 200 have a diameter from about 14″in diameter to about 16″ in diameter and preferably are 15″ in diameter.The paddle closing wheels 200 preferably include approximately sixteenfingers 230 to achieve maximum soil churning (to create finer soilparticles). In addition, the paddles 236 are about 4.5 inches wide.

Referring to FIG. 7, the inner hub 218 includes a bearing 226 to allowthe paddle closing wheels 200 to be rotated. In particular, a bolt 250is inserted through a washer 252, through the bearing 226, and into theopening 184 formed in the central block 160. A nut 254 is thereaftersecured to the bolt 250 (within a hollow interior of the central block160) to rotatably secure each paddle closing wheel 200 to the centralblock 160. Because the paddle closing wheels 200 are individuallyattached to the central block 160, the paddle closing wheels 200 rotateindependently of one another.

Due to the positive camber and toe-in orientations of the central block160, the paddle closing wheels 200, when looking from a top view(viewing a plane formed by the lateral and longitudinal axes 168, 182)form a V-shape with the paddle wheels 200 closer together at a leadingend 260 (FIG. 4) of the paddle sealer 38 and, when looking from a frontview (viewing a plane formed by the lateral and vertical axes 168, 182)form a V-shape at a soil end 262 (FIG. 4) of the paddle sealer 38. Thisorientation of the paddle closing wheels 200 allows the wheels to, oncea seed trench is cut into the soil and a seed and/or fertilizer isdeposited, move the soil to cover up the seed and/or fertilizer.

All components of the paddle sealer 38 may be manufactured of steel orother similar material. Optionally, one or more components of the paddleclosing wheels 200 may be made of plastic or other similar material.

During use of the paddle sealer 38, as noted above, the paddle closingwheels 200 ride along the soil. The ground and soil are not alwayslevel. Therefore, to prevent disturbance to one or more seeds due touneven ground or soil and/or the creation of uneven ground, thespring-loaded rod 92 allows up and down movement of the arm assembly 40.In particular, when uneven ground is encountered, rather thantransferring all of the force into the ground, the force is transferredinto the arm assembly 40, which, due to the spring-loaded rod 92 movesup and down, as necessary. As noted above, the L-shaped projections 120prevent too much downward movement and force of the paddle closingwheels 200 to prevent damage to the soil and further provide an even andconsistent seedbed.

Although directional terminology, such as front, back, upper, lower,etc. may be used throughout the present specification, it should beunderstood that such terms are not limiting and are only utilized hereinto convey the orientation of different elements with respect to oneanother.

Numerous modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent tothose skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description.Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative onlyand is presented for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art tomake and use the invention and to teach the best mode of carrying outsame. The exclusive rights to all modifications which come within thescope of the appended claims are reserved.

We claim:
 1. A paddle sealer for attachment to seeding equipment, thepaddle sealer including: a frame structure; an attachment mechanismcapable of securing the frame structure to seeding equipment; a paddleclosing wheel assembly including a support structure connected to theframe structure and a set of paddle closing wheels attached to opposingsides of the support structure, wherein the opposing sides are orientedsuch that the paddle closing wheels are disposed in a toe-inorientation; wherein each of the paddle closing wheels includes a firstside and a second side and a series of radially extending fingersextending from the periphery and each finger includes first and secondside edges separated by a crown that interconnects the first and secondside edges, each finger separated by a recessed area; and a plurality ofpaddles coupled to the first side edge of each of the fingers, thepaddles are generally perpendicularly oriented to the first and secondsides of the paddle closing wheels and wherein each of the paddleclosing wheels rotates independently of the other wheel.
 2. The paddlesealer of claim 1, wherein the support structure of the paddle closingwheel assembly is adjustably connected to the frame structure to allowthe paddle closing wheel assembly to be moved up or down before use. 3.The paddle sealer of claim 1, wherein the frame structure includes agenerally vertical stem having first and second ends, the paddle closingwheels coupled to the first end and the stem being coupled to a pair ofgenerally parallel arms at the second end and a tension assembly havinga biasing spring that applies a downward force on the parallel arms andallows up and down movement of the parallel arms and paddle closingwheels during use of the paddle sealer.
 4. The paddle sealer of claim 1,wherein the opposing sides are oriented such that the paddle closingwheels are disposed in a positive camber orientation.
 5. A paddle sealerfor attachment to seeding equipment, the paddle sealer including: aframe structure having a generally vertical stem and a pair of generallyhorizontal parallel arms coupled to the stem; an attachment mechanismcapable of securing the frame structure to seeding equipment; a paddleclosing wheel assembly including a set of paddle closing wheels attachedto opposing sides of the stem, wherein the opposing sides are orientedsuch that the paddle closing wheels are disposed in a toe-in orientationand a positive camber orientation and can rotate independently of theother wheel wherein each of the paddle closing wheels includes a firstside and a second side and a series of fingers extending radially fromthe periphery of the wheels and each finger including first and secondside edges separated by a crown that interconnects the first and secondside edges, each finger separated by a recessed area; and a plurality ofpaddles coupled to the first side edge of each of the fingers, thepaddles arranged to be generally perpendicularly oriented to the firstand second sides of the paddle closing wheels.
 6. The paddle sealer ofclaim 5, wherein each of the paddle closing wheels includes a bodyportion with a central opening having a series of radially extendingslots to allow bolts to extend through the body portion.
 7. The paddlesealer of claim 6, wherein each of the paddle closing wheels furtherincludes a series of fingers extending radially from the body portionand including generally rectangular paddles attached to first edges ofeach of the fingers.
 8. The paddle sealer of claim 7, further includingrecessed areas disposed between each of the fingers to reduce soilbuildup between the fingers.
 9. The paddle sealer of claim 8, whereineach of the paddle closing wheels includes a hub assembly having aninner hub and an outer hub that are attached by the bolts through thebody portion.
 10. The paddle sealer of claim 9, wherein each of theinner hubs includes a bearing and a bolt attaches the inner hub to thesupport structure to allow for rotation of the paddle closing wheelswith respect to the support structure.
 11. A paddle sealer forattachment to seeding equipment, the paddle sealer including: a framestructure having a generally vertical stem and a pair of generallyhorizontal parallel arms coupled to the stem; an attachment mechanismcapable of securing the frame structure to seeding equipment; a paddleclosing wheel assembly including a set of paddle closing wheels attachedto opposing sides of the stem, wherein the wheels are oriented in atoe-in and a positive camber orientation and can rotate independently ofthe other wheel; and wherein each of the wheels includes a plurality ofpaddles, the paddles arranged to be generally perpendicular to first andsecond sides of the wheels.